Here are a few facts about salad - from the Dole Salad 101 Guide Book.

Dole presented us with 28 different salad veggies. From ones I have heard of - like iceberg, romaine - to new varieties like Tango and Mizuna. Then each one of us tasted these varieties back to back with no added salad dressings - raw and in their pure taste profile state. So much fun! It was amazing to be reminded of the different tastes and texture of different salad varieties. Here are a few of my favorite varieties we tasted - and some nutrition facts:

Butter lettuce - excellent source of vitamins A and K - and folate. Small round heads of lettuce. Soft and succulent with "buttery" textured leaves.

Green and Red Cabbage - dense, waxy heads - crunchy texture. The red cabbage has twice the vitamin C as green cabbage! Both red and green cabbage are good sources of glucosinolates that help promote heart health.

Escarole - a member of the endive/chicory family. It has broad, crispy, slightly curved pale green leaves. Escarole is high in folate. I love the mild, bitter, complex flavor of raw escarole - but you can also add it to cooked dishes like soups.

Frisee - ah yes, the "frizzy" looking lettuce. Although it used to be thought of as a purely 'accent' ingredient to salads - a new trend is to use frisee as the main ingredient. Crunchy and zesty - frisee will add some zing to your salad. It is packed with nutrients. Folic acid, vitamins A, C and K and manganese. It has approx. 1/3 the RDA of both vitamins A and C per serving!

Iceberg Lettuce - crunchy and crisp - this lettuce is not a "powerhouse" of nutrients - but is a good source of vitamin K.

Radicchio - those purple round heads of biter-tasting leaves are rich in phosphorus, calcium and vitamins B and C. Add some complexity to your salad by tossing in some radicchio.

Romaine - one of my classic faves. The latest trend is to grill your romaine then chop it up into a salad. So good!